Chilling Days (TLDR)
by RedVoidWriting
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga is an A-llist actor that spends a day with contest-winner Naruto Uzumaki. This is the chapter finale combined with a TLDR for those who require a story refresher.


**AN: For the uninitiated reader, this is the chapter finale to the story _Chilling Days_ starring Hinata Hyuuga as an A-list actress that meets Naruto Uzumaki because he won a contest that let him spend a day with her.**

It has been years since I wrote for this story so I will include a TLDR.

TLDR: Kiba rigged the contest so that his friend Naruto could win and cheer up his girlfriend Hinata, but Hinata ends up falling for Naruto which lead Kiba and Hinata to break up. Kiba is tempted by Tenten while he is still in a relationship with Hinata but he remained loyal. Ino has been Hinata's chauffeur since the start of her acting career.

* * *

The queen of beauty was seated elegantly in her car as tiny raindrops pelted her window that showed her extravagant buildings that grew taller with each glance. Except this time the rain made her window clearer instead of muddier.

"Sorrry about the car. I just got it repaired so it's a little musty." said Ino, from the front seat.

 _A little? I could hardly breathe,_ thought Hinata, _and has this girl ever heard of seat protectors? I feel something slimy and crusty on my back that I am still debating whether or not to kill._ But despite her silent protest she could not help but smile to herself and relax her shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can't afford to pay you today," said Hinata.

"Don't even worry about it," Ino jeered, "if you had to drive yourself you would probably get front page on the newspaper for getting into a car accident."

She was joking, but through the rearview Hinata could have sworn that she saw little tears forming at the corners of her eyelids, and that picture touched Hinata, made her feel nostalgic.

"You know, this is nice," said Ino.

Hinata continued watching her from the rearview.

"I was the first of us to get a car. You and me were inseparable." she said. The rain picked up and transformed the interior of the car into a small room. "You always used to joke that I was your personal chauffeur. Oh, the irony!"

Hinata could not decide whether it was Ino's words or the musty air that was getting to her, but she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to join the rain. "After I started acting, my agent told me I should hire a professional chauffeur to keep my safe. I told him I already had one," said Hinata.

Ino's golden hair flowed out of her chauffeur's hat, and it felt like Hinata was admiring her beauty for the first time.

"It's just nice," said Ino, "to do something for you without getting anything in return."

Ino's words gave her an unbelievable strength. She felt like crying.

The car came to an abrupt halt, and both Hinata and Ino's eyes were drawn to a large billboard that a man on a large ladder picked up before dropping on the ground like a piece of refuse.

Hinata's window rolled down slowly in order to make sure she was seeing correctly, but it was no accident. The picture that was shattered on the ground belonged to her, and the new one that he put up belonged to a new, younger actress.

"I'm sorry," said Ino. But it wasn't her fault.

Hinata was not sure who's fault it was, and it was killing her.

"It won't be like this for long," said Hinata, mostly to herself. "I have that blockbuster movie deal that will make everything go back to normal."

"Well, this is your stop," said Ino, almost pretending that Hinata had not said what she just did.

Hinata waited for the car to stop rocking before stepping out into the street.

This time, Hinata had no envelope thick with cash to send Ino's way, so she gave her friend the one thing she did have.

"Thank you," said Hinata.

Ino smiled back with a tilt of her head. "No problem. Just text me when you are ready to be picked up, okay?"

Now a brown box-like building stood in front of Hinata as the noise of nearby cars filled her with anxiety. The loneliness was squeezing her.

Hinata knew that if she did not climb those three steps now, she would not have the strength to climb them later. She took a deep breath and hopped past them, then facing a large brown door.

She pushed a pearly doorbell to the right of the door, feeling it sink under the pressure of her slender finger.

A ding-dong sound reverberated throughout the building and through Hinata's scattered thoughts.

A long minute passed without any sign of life.

 _M-Maybe he's not home_ , Hinata thought to herself.

Then she noticed a white paper posted to the door with a plastic cover. She had originally discounted the thing as an advertisement, but upon further inspection it is a note that Kiba had left.

 _Dear friends and family,_

 _If you are here then you may be wondering why I have not answered your e-mails, texts, or phone calls. Simply put, I am starting a new life in a new place, and if you have not received a personal letter from me disclosing my new address, I suggest you cease contacting me immediately._

 _Best of luck,_

 _Kiba_

Upon reading the note, Hinata immediately began searching her mind for any recollection of receiving a letter from Kiba. But, the more she searched her memories the more she felt like collapsing until she could no longer bear to think.

There was beads of sweat forming on her forehead now, even though her skin was cold and her complexion was pale. Of all the possible outcomes of visiting Kiba's house this was by far the worst.

"It's 3227 Echelon Heights," said a familiar voice from behind her.

She turned around and realized she was face-to-face with the man whom she caused so much pain, and now she could honestly say that she felt the same way as he did, only now she had a chance to make it right.

"Kiba, that's amazing!" said Hinata. The houses in Echelon Heights cost a billion dollars. Kiba never made that much, so whatever new job Kiba had, it was working for him.

Suddenly, Hinata realized that Kiba remained three feet away from her, as if she was surrounded by an impenetrable bubble. His hands were in his pockets and his mouth was uneven like the weight he put on each side of his body despite his spectacular suit.

She knew she had to say something.

"I-I always wanted to eat Tiramisu while looking out from Echelon Tower," HInata said. Echelon Tower was the most renowned and romantic landmark in the city, and she hoped that would impress him.

"Hey," said Kiba. But when she turned his attention to him his face just hardened further. "Hinata, I wonder. If I had told you I moved to Pigsty Alley, that I hadn't the money to pay rent. Would you have responded the same way?"

Hinata hardly let him finish his sentence before responding.

"Of COURSE I would have," she said, "Well, maybe I would have changed the location of our date, but my feelings are still the same. Kiba I miss you."

She stepped down so that they were on the same playing field. It was just the two of them standing there, in the middle of that icy street. Chilling days.

"I wonder," said Kiba, letting his head swing from side to side.

As Hinata could hardly bear to look at him she chose to admire the fancy corvette parked across the street. As if on command, the left passenger side window rolled down revealing a pretty new face.

"Hi!" said the woman in the back seat of the corvette. She knew her manners. "Is this a friend of yours, Kiba?" she asked. Hinata wanted to ask Kiba the same question.

Kiba did not budge an inch. "That's a good question," he said. His head seemed to carry extra weight when this woman observed him.

A squeal suddenly resonated from the corvette, and the sound shook Hinata's core.

"Kiba, you know the baby gets anxious when the car stops. Let's go home so I can make dinner," said the woman in the corvette in an overly sweet tone.

"I was just finishing up here," Kiba replied.

A baby? A baby! Did Kiba have any decency at all? She wasn't even aware that he wanted a family let alone that he was ready to start one! She certainly did not want a family but of all the things he had done to her, this was the most inhuman.

All of the words she had for Kiba in that moment seemed to meld together and trip over one another, coming out in little pieces that seemed more akin to "meeps."

"Hinata, this is my wife, Tenten," said Kiba. Hinata wanted to rip his head off.

"Tenten is the love of my life… and the reason for my success. She's the one that convinced me to dump acting and take up a career as a professional stuntman…" Kiba's words came out in drolls.

Already Hinata could feel blood boiling from her heart, all the way to the top of her head. The cold winds were no match for the fire that Kiba had ignited.

"KIba… You must be playing a joke on me, right?" said Hinata, "I've never heard of this Tenten woman." Hinata was sure to keep her princess-like demeanor lest Kiba find his joke a success.

Hinata says she never heard of Tenten because she never heard of her. This girl did not appear at any high-profile events, so she was probably not even B-list. She was an extra… and Kiba had married her?

"That's kind of the point…" said Kiba. "When I was an actor… When I was with you. It seemed like the only things that mattered were how much money I could make or how much attention I could get... It got... old."

Kiba's last words in particular seemed to awaken something lying dormant within Hinata that she had only shown to her worst enemies while they were attacking her. She could no longer be accountable for herself.

Like clockwork her mind targeted key pieces of information from the past that she could use against Kiba, if for no other reason than to make him squirm.

"Kiba, when you would go on business trips…" she started, "You started seeing this girl while we were still together… Didn't you?"

Kiba answered reluctantly, "I never should have seen here while I was with you."

His reaction pleased her like the first taste of flesh pleases a wolf.

"There was that trap you set using Naruto too…" she said, "would someone that loved and trusted someone do that?"

Kiba's hand balled into a fist and he finally shirked that annoying facade that could hardly hurt a fly. "No, no dammit! That isn't why I did that! It isn't…"

Even with his fangs bared, Kiba could not scare himself into believing that he was right. So, with a small smirk, Hinata delivered the finishing blow.

"I was never _the one_ for you, Kiba. You only ever liked me for my fame and beauty. And now that I don't have as much you have left me for a younger woman," Hinata said, circling her heart with her index finger.

"But, he DID believe in you," said a strong voice from beside her. "He called me up on the phone, crying his eyes out. I never heard my friend cry like that before. He told me that he would try anything that would make you happy… I told him that I would help and he immediately agreed."

The voice belonged to Naruto who seemed much more sure of himself than before. _Why would he take Kiba's side after all we have done together_ , wondered Hinata. _Some of that was real… right?_

"I had a great time with you," Naruto said to Hinata, "because you are a beautiful and fun woman."

Hinata blushed from the complement, perhaps more deeply because Naruto had matured so much.

"I may have gone too far in helping you have fun, but you took your clothes off after our first date…! And you did that right after you finished talking with your boyfriend on the phone… I just don't know what to think of a woman that would do that," said Naruto.

Did Naruto realize that she was an A-list celebrity? Hinata wanted to cover her ears and scream, but she tried to keep her eyes focused on Kiba instead.

"Kiba was faithful to you," said the voice from the corvette, but she was up close, in front of Kiba. She was standing in the street rocking her baby in her arm's melodically as she kept strict eye contact with Hinata.

"While Kiba was still with you he would hardly look at me…" Tenten said, "even though we were just doing business he refused to let it be more than that."

Tenten's words hurt Hinata more than Kiba's ever could because she knew they were true. She had no reason to lie.

 _Why is Naruto standing up for Kiba? He was at Kiba's old house which meant that he probably was not invited to take part in Kiba's "new life."_

 _Why would Tenten try to justify Kiba's actions? She should have heard that Kiba went on "business trips" while he was in relationships._

The torrent of confusion built up in Hinata until it finally escaped her lips in a single word, "why?" Little did she know, that tiny word said out of desperation united all of the others under the same cause.

"Because he's my friend," said Naruto.

"Because I trust him," said Tenten.

"You guys…" said Kiba, clearly unaware that his actions over the years have earned him such valuable allies.

Words like "friends" and "trust" seemed like words that existed in a dictionary that Hinata did not have time to read. Her agent gave her three words of advice in order to be a good actor: Practice your lines, eat right, and exercise. She never had time to do anything else.

Maybe she was tired of acting…

There was someone else in her life, wasn't there? Someone who she could call a friend.

A faded picture of a blonde girl in a chauffeur's hat glimmered in her conscious and she couldn't help but sigh with relief.

That girl that was her source of immeasurable strength through all the trials of her acting career.

"I-I'm so sorry everybody," Hinata said at last. She laughed nervously and surveyed her ex-boyfriend, his wife, and Naruto.

"I've been a terrible friend," she said. _And girlfriend_ she thought, but did not say out of consideration for Kiba's new wife.

"Kiba," Hinata said, "I know that I can never make up for what I've done but I wish you and your family the best from the bottom of my heart."

Hinata took a deep breath and turned to Naruto.

"I should have never acted that way with you," she said, "I hope someday you will forgive me… and maybe give me another chance…?" her last few words she said with heavy anxiety.

Kiba suddenly disappeared behind his shiny corvette and then reappeared holding two white envelopes. "Me and the wife have to get home now, but let's all meet again during Christmas. If-" said Kiba, pivoting to his wife, "you are okay with that, that is."

"Of course," said Tenten, bobbing their baby in her arms just a little bit faster, "I know what kind of man I married."

After receiving their letters, Hinata and Naruto wave goodbye to Kiba's new family leaving the two of them alone together.

Before Hinata can speak she feels a reassuring buzz in her pocket, only to find that Ino had texted her.

Ino: _Are you alright? Want me to pick you up now?_

Hinata: _I think I will take the bus home today. I do not want to overwork my personal chauffeur ;)_

Ino: _If you say so. I'll keep my phone on in case you change your mind._

Hinata looks at the clay sky for a moment before sending another text.

Hinata: _Ino_

Ino: _What?_

Hinata: _Thank you_

Then Hinata hurriedly puts her phone in her pocket as if not to ruin the moment.

"Hey, Hinata," said Naruto, with a curious face. "I'm going to volunteer at the soup kitchen next week. The people there are always talking about you. Do you want to come and sign autographs?"

Hinata looks the other way for a moment and then turns her head around as the cars pass them in droves. "Only if I get to serve them soup first," she says.


End file.
